Introduction to Jerry Markowitz. 2:01 min. Interview: Raymond Elman. Post-Production: Gabriela J. Fuentes Villafañe. Hampton House movie by Katja Esson, Penelope Pictures. Courtesy of Historic Hampton House Community Trust. Recorded via Zoom: 8/23/2021, Miami.
The parents of JERRY MARKOWITZ owned and operated the Hampton House in Brownsville during its heyday – when major international talent like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone, Cab Calloway, and Sammy Davis Jr used to stay and perform there; as well as major athletes like Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Althea Gibson; and activists like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X. As a teenager, Markowitz worked several menial jobs at the Hampton House – bellhop, busboy – but because he was still a teenager and underage, he was not allowed to watch the stars perform in the Hampton House lounge. Markowitz is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Law and a founding shareholder at Markowitz Ringel Trusty + Hartog, P.A., where he specializes in representing creditors and debtors in a variety of areas, including bankruptcy, asset recovery, mediation, insolvency, reorganization, restructuring, and workouts
The videos below were recorded via Zoom, are organized by Success Factor, and run between 30 seconds and 3 minutes. Click on any video. You must be connected to the Internet to view the videos.
EMPATHY: 1:22 sec.
Growing up in Miami, what was your first awareness of segregation?
RESILIENCE: 1:05 min.
Nicholas Griffin wrote a book called “The Year of Dangerous Days: Riots, Refugees, and Cocaine in Miami 1980.” How did you feel during that era?
COMMUNITY VALUES: 1:40 sec.
How old were you when your parents bought the property that became The Hampton House?
COMMUNITY VALUES: 0:56 sec.
Was it already a Black neighborhood when your mother inherited the property that became The Hampton House?
EXPOSURE TO BROAD INFLUENCES: 1:43 min.
What was the first time that you ever visited The Hampton House?
DEVELOP A VOICE: 0:11 sec.
Were most of the patrons Black?
EXPOSURE TO BROAD INFLUENCES: 1:03 min.
Did your parents have a sense of the international celebrity of the Black people staying at the hotel?
EXPOSURE TO BROAD INFLUENCES: 1:11 min.
The people who stayed at or performed at The Hampton House range from Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X, to Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, to Frank Sinatra and Milton Berle.
RESILIENCE: 0:52 min.
Do you still visit The Hampton House?
CREATES A UNIQUE PERSONAL BRAND: 1:05 min.
Did your parents consider themselves pioneers, activists, or civil rights people?
CRITICAL THINKING: 1:02 min.
Did you feel like Miami was a southern town?
RESILIENCE: 0:54 sec.
Are you the last living person with a connection to the ownership of The Hampton House?
SERENDIPITY: 1:39 min.
I have been reaching out to people like Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Henry Louis Gates Jr, former governor Deval Patrick — to have them shine their celebrity spot light on The Hampton House.
CREATES A UNIQUE PERSONAL BRAND: 2:10 min.
Is it true that there was a radio program broadcast from The Hampton House?
STRONG DRIVE FOR ACHIEVEMENT: 2:14 min.
There is a memorable photo of the Hampton House bar and its patrons. Where was that bar located?
UNDERSTANDS THE AUDIENCE’S PERSPECTIVE: 1:06 min.
When did your family sell The Hampton House?
CREATES A UNIQUE PERSONAL BRAND: 2:30 min.
What was your most salient memory of The Hampton House?
